Celebrating Jane Austen: Her Life and Enduring Legacy
Jane Austen’s 250th Birth Anniversary
In 2025, England will commemorate the 250th birth anniversary of Jane Austen with grand events like gala balls, exhibitions, costume parades, live lectures, podcasts, and happenings in her former residences. BBC Arts, known for the serial “Miss Austen”, will release a three-part docuseries, “Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius”, highlighting Austen’s significance as one of our most cherished writers.
Early Life and Initial Obscurity
Despite her current fame, Jane Austen led a life of great obscurity and remained largely unknown during her lifetime. Even after her death, her publisher, John Murray, sold her unsold novel copies at a discount. Austen had many critics, including Charlotte Bronte and Mark Twain, who disapproved of her writing style and content.
Jane Austen in College Curriculums
Jane Austen’s novels have found a place in college curriculums, even in Indian universities. The author’s deep roots in English society made her novels a unique experience for Indian students. “Pride and Prejudice” was prescribed for the author’s first year in college, leading her to read all of Austen’s novels.
A Young Writer
Jane Austen’s early writing, known as her “Juvenilia”, was a pleasant surprise. These stories were hilarious and showed the young author having immense fun, poking fun at the popular Gothic novels of the time. These novels often featured exaggerated events, intense emotions, long-lost heirs, reunited families, eloping lovers, and fainting females.
Jane Austen’s Popularity and Movie Adaptations
Jane Austen’s popularity surged with the movies discovering her. All her novels have been adapted into movies, with “Pride and Prejudice” being a favorite. Movies based on her novels have been made in various languages, including Hindi and Tamil. There have been prequels and sequels to the novels, but sequels rarely succeed.
Jane Austen’s Letters
After reading all of Jane Austen’s fiction, the author discovered a book containing her letters. These letters have been controversial, with one critic calling them “oases of trivialities”. However, these were not official letters, but women’s letters, meant to convey news, maintain family ties, and friendships.
The Publishing Journey
Jane Austen wrote three novels by the age of 25: “Northanger Abbey”, “Sense and Sensibility”, and “Pride and Prejudice”. Her father, impressed by her writing, sent “Susan” to a publisher, who bought it for ten pounds. However, the publishing process was challenging, and Jane remained unpublished for many years.
A Writer and a Woman
After writing three novels, Jane Austen remained silent for nearly ten years, sparking curiosity and speculation. Was it due to publisher rejections or a love disappointment? The only picture of Jane shows a woman with a severe expression on her plump-cheeked face. However, Jane was a lively, flirtatious girl who loved dancing and wine.
The Publishing Journey, Continued
Jane Austen’s publishing career was fraught with challenges. Her father sent “Susan” to a publisher, who bought it for ten pounds but did not publish the novel for many years. Jane had to threaten them with another publisher. Ultimately, it was her brother Henry who bought back the manuscript and published it as “Northanger Abbey”.
Later Life and Legacy
Jane Austen passed away in Winchester at 41, leaving behind a remarkable legacy of six novels and two unfinished ones. She has been called “the perfect artist”, but her family misrepresented her after her death by portraying her as a gentle, pious woman whose interests lay in her family and domestic duties. These statements contradict Austen’s own words, which reveal her resentment towards housework and dedication to her writing.
